How much is your job protection worth?

The proponents of the so-called “flexibility” bill finally took off their mask in the Statehouse on Thursday morning.

Just the prior afternoon, supporters of education and educators in the Senate had amended the Senate version of the flexibility bill (SB54) to include language protecting your tenure.

This prompted those who oppose public education and public educators to give up any pretense and just come out and say that they want to buy your tenure.

They modified the House version of this bill (HB84) to include provisions that specifically allow school systems to set up programs where they can refuse to hire a teacher unless she is willing to “sell” her right to gain tenure.

Legislative actions prove AEA was right

AEA has been called every name in the book over this bill. However, the facts speak for themselves. We said that language in the bill could exempt employees from participating in PEEHIP and TRS.

They said we were lying, and then they passed an amendment to correct the language we had pointed out.

The same thing happened with the state minimum salary schedule (matrix), and with charter schools.

After AEA called them out, they added an amendment to the bill.

We also said that this bill was designed to destroy tenure. They said we were lying. We said “put up or shut up” and include clear language in the bill to protect tenure, like the Senate Education Committee did. Then, and only then, did they decide to come clean and say, yes, we want to get rid of tenure.

They want to buy your tenure rights

The way they are couching this is as a “choice.” They say that teachers will be given the “choice” of whether or not they will stay on tenure track or go to a non-tenure track.

They promise all these fabulous financial incentives if you give up your tenure.

How many of you have been given a “choice” about a particular assignment at work? How many of you were given a “choice” of whether or not to work the gate at football games this past fall? To think that simply saying something will be a “choice” for educators, with no coercion on the part of the administration, is either disingenuous or laughably naive. These legislators know full well, and are counting on, teachers being pressured to give up their tenure.

Where’s the pot of gold?

I’d like to know where in the world they’ve found a pot of gold to buy all this tenure?

They’ve cut your pay by 2.5 percent over the last two years, took away your DROP program, put in a sliding scale for insurance premiums, increased your co-pays for prescriptions, and haven’t given you a raise in six years, but there’s money to buy tenure?

Which of these things do you think should take a back seat so money can be freed up to buy tenure: an expanded pre-K program to get kids better prepared for school and for life; a decent pay raise for you to offset inflation and your pay cut; ensuring that every child has every textbook and workbook that he or she needs; eliminating portable classrooms; reducing class sizes (the most proven tool to enhance learning); or providing every school in Alabama with high speed internet access? There are so many things we need to pay for in public education in this state and tenure is definitely not one of them.

Pay attention to those who vote to sell tenure

Pay close attention to the faces of those who voted to put your tenure up for sale that are printed in this edition. (See the vote on pages 4-5.)

When they come to you and ask you for your vote in 2014, ask them why they thought our education funds could be better spent buying tenure than they would be reducing class size or any other thing to advance education.

Call your senator today

The fate of this bill is in your hands. Call your State Senator at (334) 272-7800 and tell them there are thousands of better uses for education funding than buying the tenure of current and future teachers, thank them for standing up for your tenure on Thursday, and ask them to refuse to consider the toxic House version of this bill and to pass the Senate Education Committee version of SB54.